Winners Announced Wind Blade Challenge and Windstorm Challenge 2016

May 20, 2016 Recent News
Falmouth High School team A6, Windstorm Challenge 2016 winners. Left to right: Falmouth High School teacher Kim Blenk, team members, and Dr. Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center.
Falmouth High School team A6, Windstorm Challenge 2016 winners. Left to right: Falmouth High School teacher Kim Blenk, team members, and Dr. Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

Editor’s note: Images from both competitions are available for download, here.

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center hosted the Windstorm Challenge and the 8th Annual Maine Wind Blade Challenge for 300 middle- and high-school students today.

Windstorm Challenge 2016
3rd Place:  Caribou Middle School B2
2nd Place: King Middle School B18
1st Place: Falmouth High School A6

Maine Composites Alliance’ 8th Annual Wind Blade Challenge 2016
3rd Place: Lewiston High School Team 4
2nd Place: Freeport High School
1st Place: Bangor High School Team 1

Winning team members of both competitions were offered internships valued at more than $20,000 at the UMaine Composites Center, contingent upon enrollment at the university.

Left to right: Maine Composites Alliance Managing Director Steve Von Vogt, members of Bangor High School Team 1, and Bangor High School teacher John Cangelosi. This team won Wind Blade Challenge 2016.
Left to right: Maine Composites Alliance Managing Director Steve Von Vogt, members of Bangor High School Team 1, and Bangor High School teacher John Cangelosi. This team won Wind Blade Challenge 2016.

“We were pleased to present Maine students with these two truly hands-on STEM experiences that immerses them in energy research inside our 100,000-square-foot laboratory to help spark the next generation of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and job creators for Maine and for the United States,” said Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Composites Center. “We’re confident that some of the best future engineers, scientists and entrepreneurial leaders were here today, and our goal is to inspire them with opportunities in our state.”

“It was inspiring to see the creativity of these Maine students and, without doubt, Maine composites companies are looking forward to them joining our workforce,” said Steve Von Vogt, Managing Director of the Maine Composites Alliance.

About Windstorm Challenge

The fourth Windstorm Challenge — held in the center’s Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab — engaged students in floating offshore wind technology, innovation and business.

Student teams designed and built a scale-model floating wind turbine platform and delivered a sales pitch-style presentation to a panel of UMaine and industry judges. The teams’ floating turbine models were tested under extreme winds and wave conditions. The team with the most stable platform and strongest presentation was selected as the winner.

About Wind Blade Challenge

The 8th Annual Maine Wind Blade Challenge, also hosted at the center, is a program of the Maine Composites Alliance and the Maine Ocean and Wind Industry Initiative. This challenge connects teams of middle- and high-school students with composites companies to construct and infuse a functional set of wind blades.

Each Wind Blade Challenge team’s goal was to manufacture an assembly that would generate the most energy in 3 minutes or fewer. Each team also gave a presentation on its design and innovation processes.

 

 

—

Contact:

Meghan Collins
Communications Manager, IT Coordinator
Advanced Structures and Composites Center
University of Maine
35 Flagstaff Road, Orono, Maine 04469

+1 (207) 581-2117